Intertwined
by astraplain
Summary: Written for the oneblanket livejournal challenge. Lost in a snow storm, Ray and Florian take shelter in a shed. Disclaimer: Ray, Florian, etc belong to You Higuri, including the implied, crossover characters.


WARNING: please check rating and summary before deciding to read this story 

"There's nothing here." Florian snaps, slamming the door to the small cupboard with uncharacteristic anger. He gestures around the room,  
nearly hitting Ray in the process. "Where else would you like me to look?"

The cabin is little better than a shed. The narrow bed, lopsided little table and empty cupboard fill most of the space. The bare wooden floorboards are unfinished and the threadbare gray blanket is the only cover for the bed's lumpy, stained mattress. There is no window, but the door fits poorly in the frame allowing a narrow view of the miserable weather outside.

The snow squall was unexpected and caught them on a mountain road seemingly miles from anywhere. With visibility almost zero, Ray didn't see the rock in the road until it was too late. His quick reflexes saved them from harm, but the car hadn't been so lucky.

Rather than wait at the roadside and risk freezing, he'd overridden Florian's concerns and insisted they start walking. Blinded by the driving snow, they trudged along in formal wear ill suited to the weather and the terrain. If that wasn't bad enough, leave it to the blond to miss his footing and fall, tumbling nearly 30 yards before catching himself on a fallen tree. Ray had been forced to follow and now they were both dirty, wet, frozen and miserable. By the time they'd sorted Florian out and determined that he could still walk on the ankle despite the pain, Ray had had to give up on his idea of climbing back up to the road. Instead, he'd tried to lead along it but the snow, trees and Florian's frequent need to rest had left them hopelessly turned around.

Continuing downward, Ray was certain that they would find a farm at least. What they found after seemingly miles of walking was this miserable little shed.

Both men are frozen, hungry and exhausted but the shed offers little to cure any of that.

Ray eyes the table, measuring its potential as firewood, but quickly gives up on that idea - the whole shed is likely to catch fire and anyway, he lost his lighter. The only thing left in his pocket is a handkerchief as wet as the rest of him.

He scowls at Florian as the only outlet for his annoyance, but the angry words stop without being uttered. He strides to the blond's side and presses a hand to his forehead. Ray's hand is numb with cold and Florian flinches at the contact, almost falling back onto the bed. Ray catches him and leans in close to check his eyes. Even in the dim light he can tell the blond is feverish.

Damnit! He's prone to fevers, but if he gets ill here...

Ray looks frantically around the shed again, knowing it is useless. He removes his cloak and shakes it hard towards the door, trying to shake off some of the moisture. He drapes it over the cupboard and reaches for Florian's.

"Take off your cloak."

"What? No. It's freezing in here."

"And keeping that wet cloak on will just make you colder. You're already running a fever. At this rate you'll be too sick to walk out of here in the morning."

"I'm not that bad. I'll be able to walk."

"What about your ankle."

"It's fine. I can't even feel it."

Ray bites his lip, the reality of their situation finally sinking in. They are lost in a foreign country in the middle of a blizzard without heat, food or dry clothing. Their shelter is poor and Florian is injured and feverish. Can this get any worse?

Florian coughs.

Damnit!

Ignoring Florian's weak struggles, Ray strips him of his cloak, tossing it carelessly to the floor for now. Florian's jacket and vest go next leaving him in his damp silk shirt and wet trousers. Ray reaches for the zipper only to be pushed back by his irritated Amethyst.

"What's wrong with you? It's freezing in here and you want to play doctor?"

"Damn right I do. The medical kind. Now take off those pants or I'll do it."

"You'd enjoy that." Florian's indignation fades in a fit of coughing and he ends leaning weakly against Ray.

"That's it. Lay down." Ray lifts the thin blanket and pushes the blond down onto the lumpy mattress. Florian lets out an "oof" as he goes down, and tries to sit up again quickly, but wavers.

"Down, now." Ray barks as he removes Florian's shoes and socks. "We came all the way to Germany to visit Miranda and Agnes. You don't want to spend the entire time sick in bed, do you?" He runs his hand over the injured ankle and frowns at the slight swelling. Not too bad, yet. Making a decision, he quickly removes Florian's trousers and tosses them onto the pile with the jacket and vest. Florian's shirt is next, leaving the shivering blond in only his underclothes. They are cold and damp and Ray removes them quickly, ignoring Florian's protests. He bundles the unhappy man up in the thin blanket while he strips and quickly drapes their clothing over the table and cupboard, hoping the worst of the moisture will drip off of them by morning.

Diving onto the narrow bed, Ray claims part of the blanket and burrows under it. "Move over." He turns the shivering blond onto his side and presses close against him, knowing that sharing their body heat is the only way they'll make it through until morning without both being sick or worse. He tucks the blanket in around them as closely as possible and shifts up so Florian's head is nestled under his chin.

"I'm sorry," Florian whispers, still shivering. "If I wasn't so clumsy..."

"Don't talk nonsense. Sleep while you can. We're heading out as soon as the snow stops. We don't want to make the ladies worry."

"Mmmm," Florian agrees. "It will be nice to see them again. However did they manage invitations to the castle?" He's almost mumbling now, and after a long moment of silence, amazing in its own right, he falls asleep.

Ray smiles as his companion's breathing evens out. The air is still frigid but with Florian pressed close, he is almost comfortable.  
Almost...

Damnit! Now is not the time for that part of his anatomy to develop a mind of its own. Florian mumbles again and shifts, nuzzling Ray's chest.

Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!

Ray does sums in his head and tries to picture his least favorite professor's wizened face. The old man had glared at him for the entirety of every lecture for an entire term. Ray had had nightmares about him at the time and thankfully, the memory is just as effective now.

"Sleep", he whispers into a patch of lovely blond silk. Florian calms and Ray closes his eyes, reminding himself to wake in an hour.  
Florian's thrashing wakes him earlier.

Ray pets Florian's back, and whispers nonsense in what he hopes is a soothing tone. Florian presses closer and hides his face in Ray's chest, not willing or able to face Ray with the memory of the dream so close. He trembles but not just from the cold.

"It's all right," Ray promises, wishing he wasn't lying. He doesn't know which horror haunts Florian tonight. The blond has more than his share of nightmare inspiring events in his life. Ray almost hopes Florian doesn't tell him, because Ray's not sure he can deal with it right now.

Ray doesn't indulge in self-recrimination often. It's far too destructive a habit and he has too many people depending on him to wallow. But sometimes, when he's unable to sleep in the early hours of the morning, he wishes certain things were different.

Florian shivers and Ray soothes him before reaching out for his cloak. It's still soaking wet and cold – no use at all for keeping them warm.  
With a sigh Ray releases the sodden cloth and shifts, intending to use his body to cover Florian completely. Florian reaches up to stop him.  
His eyes glitter in the gray light and Ray is reminded more than ever of precious amethysts.

"You know what they say about keeping warm," Florian offers, although his voice breaks when he says it. Ray knows it's not entirely because of the cold but he pretends for both their sakes. They've been dancing around each other for many months, sharing the occasional kiss or caress, but unable to move any closer because of Florian's fear and Ray's guilt. They'd shared a bed a few times out of necessity, but it proved too uncomfortable for both of them so they simply stopped trying. But now... was Florian really suggesting... He shifts to the side and stares.

"I'm not throwing myself at you or anything, so don't look so shocked." Even in this light Ray knows the blond is blushing. "Why don't we just agree - whatever happens tonight doesn't ever need to happen again or even be talked about. Unless you want..."

"You're feverish and have a sprained ankle and now you want to be intimate?" Ray has to laugh at the absurdity of it. It figures things would happen this way.

"I'm not making you do anything, so don't act like I am, I just thought we'd be warmer is all." Florian turns over awkwardly and curls in on himself, his vertebra standing out clearly. Ray can see the goosebumps on his Amethyst's back and can feel himself starting to shiver harder as well. Outside the wind intensifies, letting out an eerie howl. Florian whimpers.

Slowly, Ray eases Florian onto his back and slides over him, lowering himself cautiously, watching the blond's reaction for any sign of distress. It's too damn cold for this, but if it is to be his only chance then damn-it-all Ray is determined to savor it. "Are you sure"  
he asks as he holds himself inches above the slender body. A nod of confirmation is all he gets but it's enough. Ray settles fully onto his fragile Amethyst with a sigh on contentment. Florian helps tuck the blanket in around them, his arms wrapping around Ray's back to hold him close.

No, Ray corrects himself. Not fragile. Not at all.

He's teased the man often about his tendency to get into trouble, about his frequent illnesses, about his debt. But he did it just to watch Florian's eyes glitter. Ray would never admit it, but he hadn't really thought about the ramifications of buying the impoverished noble. It wasn't until later than he realized his lust for those amethysts had clouded his reason. He'd forgotten what being sold would mean for the young man; how one signature on a piece of parchment translated into a loss, not just of status, but of family and name itself. Not that it mattered now, Ray supposed, with Florian's immediate family all dead. But in his desire to make the man succumb, he'd virtually destroyed him.

It was just another indication of Florian's strength that he'd adjusted so well to his diminished circumstances. Sometimes Ray told himself it had been a mercy, that the Rochefort line was bleeding to death slowly and he'd simply made its death quick and clean. It was a nice bedtime story when he was staring at the ceiling in the middle of the night, far too aware of how many steps it would take him to reach the door at the other end of the hallway, and enter the simple chamber where Florian slept.

It wasn't as if the blond was deprived; he had hand-tailored clothing and food prepared by a private chef. He slept on a soft mattress with fine linens in a mansion at a fashionable address. Still...

Ray rests his head on Florian's shoulder and he can feel those amethyst eyes staring at him, radiating curiosity. With their bodies pressed so close he can feel every contour of that pale body and is painfully aware of Florian's growing interest as well as his own.

When they'd received Miranda's invitation to join them for a week-long stay at the legendary Neuschwanstein, there was no way Ray could have refused. His Amethyst is a romantic and couldn't resist the lure of the fairytale castle. Ray had had a different reaction, remembering what he'd read and heard about the tragic king and his much-rumored relationship with a servant. That it had ended so badly made Ray's doubts about this intentions towards Florian all the more difficult to ignore.

"You're thinking too hard," Florian chides gently, stroking Ray's back. "Everything will be fine." He turns his head a little and places a light kiss on Ray's head. "Just think of the story you'll have to tell the ladies."

Ray laughs and shifts a little, trying to ignore interesting shapes and curves beneath him. He settles more of his weight on his arm,  
taking it off of Florian, not that the man is protesting. He can just imagine the teasing they'll both receive when they finally do meet up with the ladies again.

It is amusing that they know the ladies at all, let alone consider them friends. Florian's influence, of course. He'd met Miranda at an art museum and had ended up regaining a family portrait and making friends with both the lively widow, Miranda Harrison, and her companion Agnes. Ray, on the other hand had been led a merry chase by the ladies before regaining his wayward Amethyst.

Oddly enough, he was looking forward to seeing them again. And of course, he was just a bit curious about the castle. What kind of wonderland had the mad king built?

"You're still thinking," Florian teases, giving Ray a light pinch. "I think I can smell the smoke coming from your ears."

"At least I do think," Ray counters, shifting again in a way that just might have been deliberately intended to get a small gasp from Florian.

"Maybe that's the problem. You and your thinking all the time" Florian twists hard, managing to turn onto his side away from Ray,  
leaving the younger man stunned and half-uncovered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ray demands, grabbing the edge of the blanket and pulling hard. They play tug-o-war for a moment until Florian loses his grip and the blanket snaps back towards Ray. He covers himself, then makes sure Florian is covered too.

"Overthinking is worse than not thinking at all. You analyze everything until there's nothing left. Why can't you just do things without thinking about them so much?" Florian sounds funny, his voice soft but deep and Ray wonders if he is getting sick along with the fever.

"I can't afford to do things without thinking about them. People depend on me. I can't let them down. I can't let them get hurt."

"You can't keep everyone safe all the time, Ray." Florian turns around to face the younger man. "You have to let people take responsibility for themselves. Even me." Florian's face is flushed but Ray isn't sure if it is from annoyance or the fever. He wants to test the blond's temperature but thinks he should wait until this outburst subsides.

"You need to let go of your guilt of your guilt, Ray. The nightmares will stop and we might finally decide what we mean to each other. But we can't do that until you stop believing that you ruined me or that you are responsible for what Azura did." Florian presses his lower body fully against Ray. "I'm not dead. I'm not damaged. I'm not fragile. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being treated as if I am."

Ray pulls Florian close, holding him tightly. The words didn't free him. He's carried this burden too long to be rid of it so quickly, but he does feel better. Lighter. He touches Florian's face gently, tilting it up for a lingering kiss. A length of heat against his leg tells him there is definite interest, as does the eager response to the kiss.

They explore cautiously, careful to keep as much skin as possible under the blankets, preferably pressed together. When the cold no longer matters to either of them, Ray wraps his hand around Florian's length and takes him over the edge. While the blond lays panting beside him, Ray pauses and leans in close.

"We should wait," he offers, trying to convey only concern for his lover. "Our first time should be..."

"Right here," Florian finishes calmly, although he is still a bit short of breath. "In a freezing cabin in the middle of nowhere in a foreign country, complete with fever and sprained ankle. It's perfect."

"We don't have anything..." Ray argues weakly.

"Problem solved." Florian counters with a smile, catching Ray's hand and pressing it to his belly where the evidence of their activities soaks his skin. It isn't ideal, he knows. But Azura hadn't bothered to use anything.

"You have all the answers." Ray is amused. He works quickly but carefully to accommodate his demanding Amethyst.

"Only to the important questions. Ready?" Florian moves into position and urges Ray into his. There are moments of gasps and moans, sighs and whispers and a long, thin cry that fills the room and surrounds them until more urgent, demanding and finally, satisfied sounds chase the pained one away.

They are warm and sticky and thoroughly comfortable when they drift off to sleep in each other's arms.

XXXXX

"I'd forgotten about the mess," Florian mutters as they peel themselves apart in the early dawn. They dress quickly, thankful that the clothes have at least dried a bit overnight even if they are still freezing cold.

"Well," he adds when Ray remains silent and withdrawn. "If anyone notices me walking funny, we can blame my ankle." He laughs at Ray's expression and throws the precious blanket at him. The ratty thing had helped save their lives. Ray looks at it for a moment, then smooths it carefully down over the mattress where it might help someone in the future.

"Ready?" he asks, offering his arm to Florian as they leave the small shed, stepping out into a crystalline wonderland.

They walk downwards in near silence for three-quarters of an hour when they hear bells.

"Ray?" Florian looks around, unable to determine where the sound is coming from.

"Down there." Ray points to a clearing several hundred yards away. "Sleigh bells."

They've covered less than half the distance, the sound growing closer when a magnificent team of horses appears pulling a plain wooden sleigh. The driver, a well-bundled man sees them almost immediately.

"Count Courland?" He swings down easily and reaches for the pile of furs and blankets in the back. "Put these on, gentlemen. There's a pair of ladies anxious for your arrival."

"Thank you, Mr..."

"Just 'Tomas', if you please, sir. In you go." He gestures them onto the sleigh then joins them, taking up the reins with easy grace. He guides the horses around and sets them a brisk pace before speaking again. "Found your car this morning. Gave the ladies quite a fright,  
m'lord, it did. They're up at the castle where there's dry clothes and hot soup waiting."

"We can't thank you enough, Tomas," Florian says sincerely. He is feeling a bit dizzy and walking had been more uncomfortable than he'd wanted to admit.

"It's my pleasure, sir. Please, bundle up and rest if you'd like. It's a long ride to the castle."

Florian smiles and looks over at Ray. He smiles even wider when he realizes his lover has fallen asleep. Pulling Ray close he makes sure they are well covered before joining him in slumber.

XXXXX

"Thank goodness you're all right!" Florian finds himself half-smothered first by Miranda then by Agnes before he is finally released long enough to remove the furs Tomas had lent him.

The housekeeper whose name he'd missed is hurrying off to summon a physician while three servants stand nearby with warm robes and slippers for them to wear until they get to their room and can change. Thankfully the luggage had been brought in when they'd towed the car up to the castle so at least there was clean clothing to look forward too. One of the servants had unpacked everything and warmed it and they'd prepared baths as soon as word arrived that the missing travelers had been found.

"A quick bath to warm you, then a change of clothes and some warm food. You'll be right in no time and telling us your adventures by supper." Miranda herself escorts the men to their room explaining, "Not everything's finished so we're doubling up. I hope you don't mind." There is a gleam in her eye when she asks the question and Florian feels himself blushing.

"Goodness, go get clean and dressed. You've a fever already no doubt" She waves them away and hurries off with what Florian is sure is a laugh.

"You wanted to visit," Ray reminds him with a smile as the men shed their borrowed robes. The tub would be a bit tight for both so he insists Florian take the first bath. The blond gives him a grateful smile and quick kiss as he passes.

While he waits, Ray undresses, gratefully stripping off his cold, dirty clothes. He checks pockets out of habit and is surprised by the sound and feel of heavy paper in the breast pocket of his jacket. Extracting the ragged-edged scrap he frowns at the intricate characters, carefully rendered by two different hands. A grandiose "L" intertwined with a simpler "R". Ray frowns at it for a moment, then turns to stare at the "L" carved into the headboard of the bed.

Movement in the bathroom startles him and Ray curls his hand around the scrap of paper, making sure not to bend it. He tucks it carefully into an inner pocket of his suitcase, feeling comfortably warm all over. The bathroom door opens and he turns, giving Florian a beautiful smile.

::end::


End file.
